In 2011, while on a mission trip in Costa Rica, Penny Williams visited a rural spot overlooking the Tarcoles River known as “The Crocodile Bridge”. On that bridge, she had a casual conversation with two older American men, who boasted of visiting the country often because of the vast availability of young beautiful girls – including teen girls!

This disturbing and heartbreaking encounter opened Penny’s eyes to the harsh reality of trafficking plaguing Costa Rica. It was a moment that ignited within her a passion and powerful vision to rescue and restore the lives of these teenagers from the chains of trafficking.

Through prayer, unwavering commitment, and personal sacrifice, Penny laid the foundation for what was known as Seeds of Hope (now Generation of Hope), a ministry that started on a humble porch but is becoming a beacon of change, spreading across 14 locations in 8 countries.

Generation of Hope’s mission extends beyond rescue, delving deep into the underlying factors fueling trafficking. We are addressing poverty, drug addiction, violence, lack of education, and spiritual voids, and providing solutions with an approach that is holistic and preventive.

Through education, empowerment, and love, Generation of Hope is equipping these teens to rewrite their stories with a new narrative – one of hope! They are rising up and stepping forward and learning to not only help themselves, but are reshaping the hearts and culture of their entire communities!

 

The alarming statistics in countries where our clubhouses have been planted:

Costa Rica

  • Nearly 40% of children lack access to early childhood education (OECD, 2017).
  • In 2017, the country was identified as a country of origin, transit and destination for human trafficking (CEDAW, 2017).
  • Prostitution is widely tolerated and there is extremely limited awareness of sexual abuse and exploitation (ECPAT International and Fundacion PANIMOUR, 2018).
  • Known as a destination country for child sex tourism, particularly amongst tourists from the United States and Europe.
    The GDP per capita is just over $10,000. However, about 10% live on approximately US$1.25 per day.

Nicaragua

  • Faces extreme poverty and is the second poorest nation in the Americas after Haiti.
  • 79% of the country lives on less than US$2.00 a day.
  • High levels of sexual exploitation of children and human trafficking.
  • The UN Estimates that 500,000 children ages 3-17 are not in the educational system.
  • High poverty levels force an estimated 340,000 children between 5-17 into child labor, increasing their risk of trafficking.
  • Known as a destination country for child sex tourism, particularly amongst tourists from Canada, the United States and Europe.

El Salvador

  • The highest homicide rate in the world for youth under the age of 19, with an estimated 60,000 who belong to gangs.
  • Boys ages 15-19 at risk of being murdered at a rate of 157 deaths per 100,000.
  • Adolescent girls are at risk of homicide with a rate of 26 per 100,000, and are also vulnerable to sex crimes.
  • Gangs of young people control neighborhoods, and children as young as 12 are recruited and subjected to sexual abuse. (Human Rights Watch, n.d.)
  • Between 2016 and 2021, the National Civil Police reported over 32,000 sexual crimes, of which 55% were girls and young women. Many more go unreported.
  • According to a 2009 report from UNICEF, 40 million children in Latin America under the age of 15 face abuse and neglect.

Guatemala

  • 80% of Guatemalans live in poverty with 40% living in extreme poverty on less than US$1.50 a day.
  • More than 20% of children are forced to work to contribute to the family income.
  • Children as young as 5 are often unable to attend school because they are helping to provide for their families. Young children are often seen sorting through trash dumps to find recyclables to sell, or food to eat.
  • Malnutrition plagues 80% of children in Guatemala; 3 million don’t have access to clean drinking water.
  • Every day, 33 people are entrapped into human trafficking; 60% of the country’s 50,000 trafficking victims are children (UNICEF)
  • Underaged girls are often found working in brothels; many are forced into sex work by their mothers.

India

  • India is home to more than 444 million children – one of the world’s largest child and adolescent populations.
  • India has the largest population in the world, now even more than China, with a population of more than 1.4 billion (UN, April 2023).
  • Girls are highly vulnerable to sexual violence and early marriage. 27 percent of female children are married by the age of 18, including 7% who are 15 years and younger.
  • India is the only country in the world where more girls die than boys, yet there are fewer girls born than boys.
  • An estimated 280 million children are in need of humanitarian aid.
  • There are an estimated 100,000 or more children who live on the streets who take on the responsibilities of working and taking care of themselves.

Kenya

  • Approximately 70% of Kenya’s school children live in rural areas and don’t have access to properly financed schools, qualified teacher or educational resources.
  • Many other children cannot attend school because they are working to help support their families, usually working the land, tending cattle, cooking or fetching water.
  • One in three girls will experience sexual violence before their 18th birthday.
  • Children in Kenya are often involved in the commercial sex trade with both tourists and Kenyan nationals who travel from other parts of the country.
  • Only 64% of births are registered. This is problematic for children who come in contact with the law, who become engaged in child labor or exploitation, or are otherwise in need of protection and access to age-appropriate services.
  • 73% of the population of Kenya is under the age of 30. These young people struggle to secure sustainable employment.
  • Median salary GDP per capita is $4,900 yearly (2022 est.)

Pakistan

  • Pakistan has a population of approximately 204 million, with 52.50% under the age of 25.
  • Pakistan has over 80 million children and is struggling to fulfill their needs.
  • Children in rural areas lack basic resources such as clean water and food, education, and health services.
  • Approximately 1 in 6 children die before the age of five, usually from malnutrition or access to clean water and supplies. Every day around 1,100 children die from illnesses related to the lack of quality/quantity of water.
  • 30% of Pakistani children are underweight, more than 50% suffer from stunted growth and around 9% from emaciation.
  • 32% of marriages are child marriages. In rural areas, the practice of “Vani Marriages” is often observed where daughters are traded to settle disputes or debts, leaving the young girls at high-risk for trafficking, domestic violence, servitude, and rape.

Honduras

  • Honduras is one of the poorest countries in Latin America and has one of the world’s highest murder rates.
  • Honduras has been characterized as a paradise for pedophiles, who mostly originate from the USA and Canada (US Bureau of International Affairs, 2020, p.2)
  • 59.8% of children live in multidimensional poverty; 35.7% of these in severe poverty (UNICEF, 2016, p. 67)
  • 43% of children do not live with their parents, often because their parents have left for other nations in search of work.
  • 3 out of 4 children drop out of school between the ages of 12 and 18.
  • Many children and adolescents are subject to commercial sexual exploitation, often placed there by their own family members or friends (US Bureau of International Affairs, 2020, p. 2)
  • The number of unaccompanied Honduran children entering the U.S. increased from 4,776 in 2020 to 39,904 in 2021 (United States Border Patrol).